The TransferAllianz e.V. is a nationwide association of transfer offices at universities, research institutions and innovation agencies. Around 200 participants from universities, research institutions, ministries and transfer organizations discussed current challenges and perspectives of knowledge and technology transfer.

International transfer as an important topic

Ananay Aguilar, Head of TenU, Cambridge Enterprises (an association of transfer offices of several universities in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, among others) and Barbara Ebel-Wolf, Head of Research and Development at Saarstahl AG, provided an international as well as an industrial perspective on the topic of knowledge and technology transfer in their keynote speeches. Following the keynotes and a panel discussion on the topic of “How do we position transfer in international competition?”, the second day featured numerous short presentations, including one by Nils Schröder from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) on the “Research at UAS” and “Innovative Hochschule” programmes, which are both jointly funded by the federal and Laender governments.

The annual conference was also used for networking and exchanging experiences. Topics such as IP, start-ups, transfer tools, AI and collaborations were discussed in 17 workshops.

Overall, the focus this year was on topics such as DeepTech, IP transfer, entrepreneurship, international cooperation and structural issues relating to the equipment and visibility of transfer offices. The discussions were also devoted to barriers to transfer, the role of internal incentive systems and better integration of funding structures.